Roza Finkey of Chatham, 87
Funeral services were held Saturday, Oct. 3, at the Hungarian Reformed Church in Passaic for Roza Balogh Finkey, 87, of Chatham, who died Tuesday, Sept. 29, 1998, at home.
Born in Hungary, Mrs. Finkey came to Passaic in 1951 and to Chatham in 1968.
Her husband, Istvan, died previously.
She is survived by a son, Stephen, and a daughter, Lilla, both of Chatham.
Interment
was at George Washington Memorial Park, Paramus. Arrangements were by Bizub-Quinlan Funeral Home, 515 Lexington Ave., Clifton.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Chatham Emergency Squad, 31 North Passaic Ave., Chatham, N.J. 07928.
Maud Jensen, first woman Methodist minister
A memorial service will be held at a later date for Maud Keister Jensen, 94, of Madison, who died Monday, Oct. 12, 1998, at Morristown Memorial Hospital.
Born in New Cumberland, Pa., Mrs. Jensen was a Methodist missionary in Korea for 44 years. She attended Shippensburg (Pa.) University and was graduated from Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pa., in 1926, with a bachelor of science degree.
She immediately began her career as a missionary in Korea. She returned to this country briefly to marry Anders Kristian Jensen and then reentered her service in general church work, as well as teaching theology, helping to found an orphanage and serving as a trustee for four institutions, including Yonsei University.
She was twice evacuated from Korea during period of armed hostilities.
During World War II, Mrs. Jensen completed her master of arts and bachelor of divinity degrees at Drew University in Madison. During the Korean War, she served as a missionary to Japan before returning to the U.S. for a speaking tour. In May, 1956, Mrs. Jensen became the first woman to be granted full rights as a Methodist minister in the U.S. Back in Korea, she was elected as a delegate to the General Conference and served on the Central Council for a number of years. The Korean government twice cited her for her contributions in education and social welfare. The Korean Methodist Church and the Methodist Theological Seminary also conferred honors on her.
Following her retirement Mrs. Jensen came to Madison. During the following years she received honorary doctorates from Lycoming College in Williamsport, Pa., and Drew University. She then earned a doctor of philosophy degree at Drew University at the age of 74.
She continued to work in various roles at the Madison United Methodist Church until her death.
Her husband predeceased her.
She is survived by her son, Philip of the Brookside section of Mendham Township, and three grandsons.
Interment
will be in Korea. Arrangements are by Burroughs, Kohr and Dangler Funeral Home, 106 Main St., Madison.
Memorial contributions may be made to the United Methodist Church, 24 Madison Ave., Madison, N.J. 07940.
Susan McIntosh Wing, 72, birder and photographer
A memorial service will be held Sunday, Nov. 1, at Stanley Congregational Church in Chatham for Susan McIntosh Wing, 72, of Chatham, who died Saturday, Oct. 10, 1998, after a brief illness.
Born in Philadelphia, Pa., Mrs. Wing lived in New York before coming to Chatham in 1958. She attended the George School in Pennsylvania and was a graduate of Smith College in Northampton, Mass. During the past 20 years, Mrs. Wing was an active birdwatcher with the Summit Nature Club. She also was a photographer and a member of the Morris Photocolor Club.
She is survived by her husband of 50 years, Charles M.; a son, Charles M. Jr. of Chatham; a daughter, Susan Wing Markson of Lakeville, Mass.; a brother, Andrew J. McIntosh Jr. of Morristown, and two grandsons.
Arrangements are by Wm. A. Bradley and Son Funeral Home, 345 Main St., Chatham.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Chatham Emergency Squad, 31 North Passaic Ave., Chatham, N.J. 07928.
Merle C. Biskeborn, 91, innovator, Bell System designer
Funeral services were held Friday, Oct. 23, at the Wm. A. Bradley and Son Funeral Home in Chatham for Merle Chester Biskeborn, 91, of Chatham Township, who died Sunday, Oct. 18, 1998, in Gilroy, Calif. Born on a farm in Scotia, Neb., Mr. Biskeborn moved to Pukwana, S.D., and then to Chamberlain, S.D. Following his graduation from Chamberlain High School he moved to New York City and then lived in Baltimore, Md., before coming to Chatham Township in 1954.
He was associated with the Bell System since 1930 following his graduation with honors as the Chamberlain High School class valedictorian. He joined the Western Electric Co., which was a branch of AT&T, in New York City. In the early 1930s he transferred to Western Electric in Baltimore. During World War II, Mr. Biskeborn worked on the development of small-scale radar systems. Following the war he attended Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. In 1954 he was promoted to head of the communications cable development department at Bell Telephone Laboratories in the Murray Hill section of Berkeley Heights. He was responsible for the design, manufacture and laying of transatlantic telephone cables. At home Mr. Biskeborn pursued such building projects as a forge, a welder, a radon detector and a tractor, which he built from an old model T chassis that he and his sons had exhumed from the Great Swamp. He used collected Christmas tree tinsel to make the rims for the front wheels of the tractor by melting down tinsel in his forge.
Mr. Biskeborn was a photographer and carried his camera worldwide on business and pleasure trips.
His wife, Virginia S., died earlier.
He is survived by a daughter, Ann of Hagerstown, Md.; two sons, John M. of Westminster, Colo., and Robert of Hollister, Calif.; two sisters, Myrtle Glaus of Chamberlain, S.D., and Nelda Radich of Greshman, Ore., and three grandchildren. Arrangements were by the Wm. A. Bradley and Son Funeral Home, 345 Main St., Chatham.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Historical Society of Chatham Township, P.O. Box 262, Chatham, N.J. 07928.
Patricia Bengtson, nurse, Eastern Star member, 63
A memorial service was held Friday, Nov. 13, at Calvary Presbyterian Church in Florham Park for Patricia D. Bengtson of Convent Station, who died Tuesday, Nov. 3, 1998, at Morristown Memorial Hospital. She was 63. Born in Orange, Mrs. Bengtson lived in Florham Park before moving to Convent Station in 1971. She was a registered nurse who was graduated from the Presbyterian Hospital in Newark, now Bloomfield College. She worked at Montclair Community Hospital from 1957 to 1967.
Mrs. Bengtson was a member of Calvary Presbyterian Church in Florham Park. She also was a member of the Order of the Eastern Star and was an elected member of the Morris Township Republican Committee in 1979.
She is survived by her husband, Bruce D.; two daughters, Kathryn J. Barnsley of Sutton Forest, New South Wales, Australia, and Sarah A. of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; and a son, Stephen B. of Mount Olive Township.
Interment
was private. Arrangements were by Burroughs, Kohr and Dangler Funeral Home, 106 Main St., Madison.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Calvary Presbyterian Church Memorial Fund, 144 Ridgedale Ave., Florham Park, N.J. 07932.
Margaret ‘Peg’ Dengel, 53, led Oakes Outreach Center
A memorial service was held Thursday, Nov. 12, at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 200 Main St., Chatham, for Margaret “Peg” Dengel, formerly of Chatham, who died Friday, Nov. 6, 1998, at Robert Woods Johnson University Hospital, New Brunswick. She was 53. Born in Euclid, Ohio, she was a resident of New Jersey since 1980, living in Chatham before moving to Franklin Park 10 years ago.
A former employee of the Borough of Chatham and of AT&T, most recently she was director of the Oakes Outreach Center in Summit.
She was a member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Chatham and an active member of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark, where she served on several commissions, including the Isaiah Team, the Diocesan Council, and the Oasis board. She was a founding member of the New Ark, the diocesan Cursillo movement.
She is survived by three brothers, James DeViney and his wife Marina of Cleveland, Ohio, Dennis DeViney of Columbus, Ohio, and Douglas DeViney of Cleveland; a sister, Cindy McQuade and her husband Daniel of Columbus; several nieces and nephews, and many dear friends. Her body was donated to Robert Woods Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick for anatomical studies. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Paul’s Memorial Fund, 200 Main St., Chatham, N.J. 07928, or the Cancer Institute of New Jersey, 195 Little Albany St., New Brunswick, N.J. 08901.
Kenneth J. Hume, 93, assessor, Morgan Guaranty employee
A memorial service was held Sunday, Oct. 25, for Kenneth J. Hume, 93, of Chatham, who died Thursday, Oct. 22, 1998. Born in New York City, Mr. Hume lived in Chatham since 1938. He was an employee of the Morgan Guaranty Bank in New York City for 49 years before his retirement from the foreign currency division. He started his career there at age 15. In addition, Mr. Hume was the Chatham tax assessor for more than 36 years.
He was a member of St. Patrick’s Church in Chatham and a member and a former Grand Knight of the Knights of Columbus. He was an avid golfer and often spoke of the old days in Chatham and the growth he witnessed first-hand. His wife, Mary, predeceased him.
He is survived by two daughters, Claudia Madigan of Chatham and Eileen Spaulding of Sparta; a son, Kenneth Jr. of Parsippany; nine grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren.
Josephine Piserchio, 83, was school crossing guard
A funeral mass was offered at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 12, at St. Vincent Martyr Roman Catholic Church in Madison for Josephine Piserchio of Madison, who died Sunday, Nov. 8, 1998, at home. She was 83. Born in Orange, Mrs. Piserchio lived in Livingston before coming to Madison 29 years ago. She was a school crossing guard in Madison before her retirement in 1993.
Her husband, Joseph, and her son, Eugene, predeceased her.
She is survived by a sister, Lillian Pagliaro of Orange. Interment
was at Glendale Cemetery in Bloomfield. Arrangements were by Madison Memorial Home, 159 Main St., Madison.
Jacqueline Goodwin Lee, 36, assistant manager of store
Funeral services were held Monday, Nov. 16, at the First Baptist Church in Madison for Jacqueline L. Goodwin Lee of Madison, who died Tuesday, Nov. 10, 1998. She was 36. Born in Morristown on March 1, 1962, Mrs. Lee was a lifelong Madison resident and a 1980 graduate of Madison High School.
She was an assistant manager of the A&P in Madison for the past year. Previously, she was a clerical staff member for seven years at the Exxon Research and Engineering Co. in Florham Park. She was a member of the First Baptist Church.
A brother, Henry O. Goodwin, predeceased her. She is survived by two sons, Ka-Leeft M. and Wilson H., both at home; her daughter, Olivia M., also at home; her mother, Nina Ruth G. Goodwin of Madison; her father, Thomas H. Goodwin Jr. of Hartford, Conn.; two brothers, Thomas A. of Mount Bethel, Pa., and Donald L. of Bangor, Pa.; a sister, Joyce “Linda” Goodwin of Madison, and several nieces and nephews.
Interment
was in Heavenly Rest Cemetery in East
Hanover. Arrangements were by Burroughs, Kohr and Dangler Funeral Home, 106 Main St., Madison.
Ersilia C. Gisoldi, worked in Summit silk factory, 89
A Mass of Christian Burial was offered Thursday, Nov. 19, at St. Patrick Church in Chatham for Ersilia Caporaso Gisoldi of Chatham, who died Monday, Nov. 16, 1998, at Overlook Hospital in Summit after a long illness. She was 89. Born in Cautano, Italy, near Naples, Mrs. Gisoldi came to this country in 1928 upon her marriage. She lived in Summit and then came to Chatham in 1944.
Mrs. Gisoldi first worked in the Summit Silk Mill, which became the site of McGregor and Co., and then for the Bedrosian Co. in Summit, where she repaired oriental rugs. Following World War II, Mrs. Gisoldi was a seamstress with the Weber Co. in New York City, making fine blouses, and then joined her husband in his rug repairing and cleaning business.
She was a member of St. Patrick Church and its Rosary Society. Mrs. Gisoldi was known for her vegetable and flower garden, most particularly for her cultivation of roses. Her husband, Frank, died earlier.
She is survived by three daughters, Pauline Mazza of the Convent Station section of Morris Township, Angela M. Pariso of Chatham and Elvira of Chatham; a son, Deacon Frank A. of Summit; a brother, Mario Caporaso of Italy, and a granddaughter.
Arrangements were by the Wm. A. Bradley and Son Funeral Home, 345 Main St., Chatham.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Chatham Emergency Squad, Passaic Avenue, Chatham, N.J. 07928.
Charlene M. Harvey, 53, foreign language teacher
A funeral mass was offered Saturday, Nov. 21, at St. Teresa of Avila Roman Catholic Church in Summit for Charlene M. Trauth Harvey of the Gillette section of Long Hill Township, who died Wednesday, Nov. 18, 1998, at Morristown Memorial Hospital after a four-year battle against breast cancer. She was 53.
Born in Dallas, Texas, Mrs. Harvey lived in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Chatham before moving to Gillette 18 years ago.
She was a teacher at Columbia Middle School in Berkeley Heights for 29 years before her retirement last year. Earlier, she had taught for one year in Chatham. Mrs. Harvey was a graduate of the University of Dayton, Ohio, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in foreign languages, and of Seton Hall University in South Orange, where she earned a master’s degree in French and Spanish in 1972.
She is survived by her husband, Ronald; her mother, Martha Trauth of Cincinnati; a stepdaughter, Rebecca of Pennsylvania; a stepson, Daniel of Frenchtown; and six sisters, Denise Trauth of North Carolina, Suzanne Trauth of Montclair, Eileen Trauth of Massachusetts, Jeannette Trauth of Pennsylvania, Patricia Trauth of California and Kathleen Trauth of New Mexico. Interment
was in Bloomingdale Cemetery. Arrangements were by Paul Ippolito Summit Memorial, 7 Summit Ave., Summit. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society, 669 Littleton Road, Parsippany, N.J. 07054.
Edward McFall, 74, native of Scotland
A funeral mass was offered Saturday, Nov. 21, at the Burroughs, Kohr and Dangler Funeral Home in Madison for Edward McFall of Madison, who died Wednesday, Nov. 18, 1998, at Morristown Memorial Hospital after a long illness. He was 74. Born in Blantyre, Scotland, Mr. McFall lived in Kearny for 10 years before coming to Madison 15 years ago. He was employed by the N.J. Bell Telephone Co. in Newark for 15 years until illness prompted him to retire in 1983. Mr. McFall was a member of the Bell Telephone Pioneers of New Jersey.
He is survived by a sister, Christine Duffy of Scotland, and nieces and nephews.
Interment
was in St. Vincent’s Cemetery in Madison. Arrangements were by Burroughs, Kohr and Dangler Funeral Home, 106 Main St., Madison.
Anthony ‘Kelly’ Esposito, Chatham Twp. developer
A funeral mass was offered Wednesday, Dec. 9, at St. Vincent Martyr Roman Catholic Church in Madison for Anthony “Kelly” Esposito of Madison, who died Saturday, Dec. 5, 1998, at Overlook Hospital in Summit after a brief battle against lung cancer. He was 65.
Born in Madison, Mr. Esposito was a lifelong resident.
He founded the Kelly and Son Construction Co. in Madison in 1960 and was one of the earliest developers in Chatham Township. His professional buildings on the corner of Shunpike and Green Village roads in the township were the first in the area. He also was instrumental in 1988 in the installation of the only street clock with both music and chimes in Chatham Township. Mr. Esposito was an active supporter and friend of the Carmelite nuns in Morristown and Warwick, N.Y. He is survived by his wife of 46 years, Lucille; a son, Patrick “Ricky” of Madison; a daughter, Diane Pagliuca, also of Madison; four brothers, Michael “Mickey,” Patrick and Carmine “Chico,” all of Madison, and James “Bucky” of Roxbury; a sister, Josephine Whitley of Vermont, and six grandchildren.
Interment
was in St. Vincent’s Cemetery in Madison. Arrangements were by the Madison Memorial Home, 159 Main St., Madison.
Charlotte Nelson, active with club, school, library
A memorial service was held Saturday, Feb. 13, at the Wm. A. Bradley and Son Funeral Home, 345 Main St., Chatham, for Charlotte Hedin Nelson of Chatham, who died Thursday, Feb. 11, 1999, at Overlook Hospital in Summit following a short illness. She was 61.
Born in Minneapolis, Minn., she moved to Cleveland, Ohio, in 1965 and then came to Chatham in 1967.
She was a 1959 graduate of the University of Minnesota with a bachelor of arts degree in elementary education, and was an elementary school teacher in Minneapolis before moving to Cleveland.
Mrs. Nelson was a past president of the Junior Women’s Club of Chatham; a former co-president with her husband, John A. Nelson, of the Chatham High School Parent-Teacher Organization in 1979, and had worked with the Summit YWCA and the Library of the Chathams.
She had assisted her husband in his packaging business, Custom Way Packaging, and following his death in 1992 she worked for the Nilson Insurance Agency in Morristown.
She is survived by three sons, John F. “Jay” of Maplewood, Todd E. of Monroe, Conn., and Scott D. of Chatham; a brother, Lynn J. Hedin of South Dakota; a sister, Marcia Tammel of California, and five grandchildren. Interment
was private.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Library of the Chathams, 214 Main St., Chatham, N.J. 07928.
John Ruckelshaus, inventor, father of Madison’s mayor
A memorial service was held on Sunday, March 7, at Grace Episcopal Church, 4 Madison Ave., Madison, for John Greer Ruckelshaus of Boonton, formerly of Madison and the father of Madison Mayor Gary Ruckelshaus. Mr. Ruckelshaus, an electrical engineer and inventor who held more than 44 patents, died Friday, Feb. 26, 1999, after a brief illness. He was 97.
Born in Newark, Mr. Ruckelshaus lived in Madison and Summit before moving to Leisure Village in Lakehurst in 1972. He attended Newark College of Engineering and received an honorary doctoral degree from Hamilton State University in 1974.
The founder and president of the Madison Electrical Products Co. (MEPCO), Mr. Ruckelshaus was a pioneer in the birth of radio broadcasting in the U.S.
He obtained the first amateur license for a radio telephone transmitter in 1920. His station, with call letters 2-GF, broadcast the first radio advertisement - a sale for L. Bamberger and Company of Newark - in early 1921. This first radio “commercial” so impressed one listener at the department store, owner Louis Bamberger, that radio station WOR was started about six months later. Mr. Ruckelshaus conceived of the cathode heater radio tube, which made possible the operation of radio receivers from house current instead of batteries and revolutionized the radio receiving set industry. One of his cathode heater tubes is in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. During World War II he designed and produced MEPCO precision wire wound resistors which were incorporated in the atomic bomb, the proximity fuse and other war projects. He also developed an engine ignition system for the Signal Corps which produced no radio interference. After the war Mr. Ruckelshaus developed the Vamistor film resistor, which eliminated the need for hundreds of feet of wire in a resistor. The Vamistor has been used in every U.S. space flight, as well as in computers, telephone equipment and sophisticated electronics equipment. His other inventions included rotators for television receiving antennas. Among his inventions he did not patent were circuit breakers now used in homes, treadle-controlled traffic signals and thermopane window glass. Mr. Ruckelshaus was a member of the Christian Science Church in Summit until 1972. He was a member of the Madison Rotary Club from 1944 to 1966; the Kiwanis Club in Leisure Village, and the International Electrician and Electricwire Engineers.
He was the husband of the late Florence Cowan Ruckelshaus and the late Edith Hart Ruckelshaus.
He is survived by two sons, John G. Jr. and Gary, and three grandchildren, Gary, Jill and Julie.
Interment
was private. Arrangements were by the Burroughs, Kohr and Dangler Funeral Home, 106 Main St., Madison. Memorial donations may be made to the Madison Public Library, 39 Keep St., Madison, N.J. 07940.
Nils Person, war veteran, awarded Purple Heart, 82
Funeral services were held Wednesday, March 31, at the Burroughs, Kohr and Dangler Funeral Home, 106 Main St., Madison, for Nils W. Person of Madison, who died Friday, March 26, 1999, at the Inglemoor Nursing Home in Livingston. He was 82.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., Mr. Person lived in Florham Park for five years before coming to Madison in 1957.
He was a purchasing agent for the Schaefer Brewing Co. in Brooklyn from 1951 until his retirement in 1978. Mr. Person was a graduate of the City College of New York, now the City College of the City University of New York. He was a founder of the Florham Park Wood Carvers Club and taught archery at the Madison Area YMCA in Madison for 20 years.
During World War II, Mr. Person was an Army staff sergeant with the 131st Field Artillery and served in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. He was awarded a Purple Heart. His wife, Winifred B., died previously.
He is survived by three sons, John B. of Stanton, Nils B. of Madison and David K. of Ketchikan, Alaska; three sisters, Constance Headly of Long Island, N.Y., Josephine Tyson of Southbury, Conn., and Edna Hanson of Lakeland, Fla.; a brother, John of Southbury; five grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Madison Volunteer Ambulance Corps, 29 Prospect St., Madison, N.J. 07940.
Sylvia Swerdlin, retired comptroller
Funeral services were held Wednesday, March 25, at Menorah Chapels at Millburn in Union for Sylvia Swerdlin of Florham Park, who died Tuesday, March 24, 1999, at home.
Born in New York City, Mrs. Swerdlin lived in
Hillside, Elizabeth and Millburn Township before coming to Florham Park.
She was the comptroller for Jahne Barnes in New York City for many years before her retirement.
She is survived by a daughter, Joyce Beck; a son, Eric; a sister, Ruth Feiger, and three grandchildren.
Interment
was private. Arrangements were by Menorah Chapels at Millburn, 2950 Vaux Hall Road, Union.
